LARRY PRICE

BROADCASTERS MUST BE HELD TO HIGH STANDARD

I am personally outraged by Larry Price's recent comments on KSSK. Questioning and attacking Sen. Gary Hooser for his birthplace and the color of his eyes is an insult to every public servant, every broadcaster and every citizen of this wonderful state of Hawai'i.

All of us came from somewhere, and we should all be judged not by our parentage or the color of our skin, but by our deeds.

Broadcasters should be held to a high standard, just as legislators should be.

ON-AIR STATEMENTS TO HOOSER NOT SURPRISING

The comments Larry Price made about Senate Majority Leader Gary Hooser are not surprising.

In 1988, I led a personal campaign to call for the removal of the grotesque light structures on Kalakaua Avenue that were a part of the city's renovation project, coupled with the need to create a new renaissance in Waikiki that reflects the grace and dignity of this land's indigenous culture.

Mr. Price wrote in one of his weekly newspaper columns that individuals like myself should go back to where we came from if we don't like the way things are here in Hawai'i.

Perhaps this recent incident should give Mr. Price reason to pause and reflect on his judgments.

ADVICE FOR HOOSER: DEVELOP THICKER SKIN

A few words of advice for Sen. Gary Hooser, who was born in California and has blue eyes: As a public servant, you should develop thicker skin to go along with your blue eyes — to better ward off unfriendly criticism.

You should look past such comments and see the issues.

STATE SENATE

EMBARRASSING EVENT AT JUDICIAL SWEARING-IN

I took the time to watch the swearing-in ceremony of Mark Recktenwald as chief judge of the Intermediate Court of Appeals and Glenn Kim as an O'ahu Circuit Court judge.

It was a very solemn yet joyous event held at the Hawai'i Supreme Court and was attended by our governor, all the justices of the Supreme Court, numerous other judges, attorneys and the public.

Following remarks by the governor, who had appointed both of these individuals, both houses of our Legislature are given time to address those gathered.

Our state Senate chose to embarrass itself, the likes of which I have never seen before.

When called to give remarks from the Senate, an obviously very embarrassed Sen. Clarence Nishihara opened his remarks apologizing that he had only been given remarks addressing Judge Recktenwald; the Senate had no comments about Judge Kim.

It doesn't matter if this was an oversight, a mistake or deliberate. It was an embarrassment to our state Senate.

The Senate Judiciary Committee recommended to the Senate not to approve Mr. Kim as a judge. The whole Senate, however, voted and chose not to follow that recommendation and Judge Kim was confirmed.

Members of the state Senate, where is the aloha, where is your heart and soul?

FARMING

TARO IS A GLOBAL PLANT WITH VERY LONG HISTORY

In his May 6 letter, George Kent ("Taro decision should be made by Hawaiians") claims taro belongs to the indigenous people of Hawai'i and not to anyone else. Well, yes and no.

Taro (telling which taro species is which is a bit confusing) probably originated in Malaysia or India before 5000 B.C. It was important in ancient Egypt. It spread into China by 100 B.C., and then into Indonesia, Japan, Korea, with the Maori taking it to Aetorea, and the Polynesians and others spreading it throughout the Pacific.

It was then carried to Africa (Nigeria becoming the world's top taro producer) and Sri Lanka, and then to Cuba and Puerto Rico via the slave trade. Ingloriously, it is now considered an invasive species in Florida and Australia.

Professor Kent presumes that taro belongs to the indigenous people in Hawai'i. I'd love to see him try to enforce this claim in China, Samoa or Nigeria. If he took to the international courts, the Indians could countersue, claiming biopiracy, theft of biological material for commercial gain; Australia could claim damages from an invasive species; and the Cubans and Puerto Ricans could seek reparations for taro's role in the slave trade.

Taro is truly a global plant, with 5,000 years of history and tens of millions of people eating it in 60 or 70 countries around the world. Who can claim exclusive rights to such a heritage?

Native Hawaiians have a right to claim the varieties of kalo that they developed from the taro they brought to the Islands. State laws concerning taro should be limited to these Hawaiian varieties.

ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF TARO RESEARCH SOUGHT

After all their complaints that genetic engineering research would harm taro, it is interesting that anti-biotech activists failed to support legislation that is a positive step forward.

With leadership from Sens. Russell Kokubun and Kalani English, the 2007 Legislature passed SCR 206, which requested the Department of Agriculture to develop a taro security and purity research program. The program includes exploration of alternative forms of taro research other than genetic engineering.

Therefore, one would have expected a rallying cry of support from the activists. But this didn't happen. It seems that a program to stem the decline of taro production in Hawai'i was of little interest. After all their complaining and so-called defense of taro, what they really wanted was to stop genetic-engineering research altogether.

Hawai'i Crop Improvement Association member companies are not engaged in taro research because the market is too small. However, we care about the taro issue because we believe farmers should have the best tools available to help defeat invasive species and disease, which includes conventional, organic, and biotechnology practices.

We are working with John Cho, one of the leading taro researchers in the Pacific Islands, on revitalizing his proposal to gather taro cultivars across the state, and review and update efficient taro-growing practices preserve taro.

We commend legislators like Sens. Kokubun and English, and House Speaker Calvin Say and Rep. Clift Tsuji, for taking decisive action that cuts to the real issues and possible solutions to save Hawaiian taro.

DRUG TESTING

TEACHER COMMITMENT NOT BEING QUESTIONED

While I normally enjoy Lee Cataluna's writing and perspectives, I really believe she missed the mark this time ("Why 5,000 teachers didn't vote," May 6).

The commitment and dedication of teachers is not the impetus for random drug testing. The issue is the safety of children entrusted to our educational systems and the public's perception of that safety.

Random testing helps ensure that the persons into whose hands we entrust our children are not under the influence of illegal substances. To require that degree of accountability is reasonable.

We already randomly test members of the military and many others in positions of government service or public safety. We should include teachers (as well as elected officials—but that's another story).

I am certain that only a very small percentage of our educators use substances illegally and therefore believe that the majority of them should be willing to demonstrate that unequivocally to the public.

I also take exception to Ms. Cataluna citing the smoking practices of teachers as a parallel issue. Possession and use of nicotine (with appropriate age) is not illegal.

As a product of our public school system, I can state that I never saw any teacher smoke in the classroom. While we knew teachers who did smoke, they did it in the teacher's lounges—as students, we never saw them.

Why did 5,000 teachers not vote? Almost 63 percent of them did, and that exceeds the voting turnout for most of our public elections!

STUDENT ATHLETES

KUDOS TO BRENNAN FOR AIRING UH PROBLEMS

Colt Brennan's statements to The Honolulu Advertiser on May 4 were, quite frankly, hard to believe.

Yes, it's hard to believe that our student athletes can give so much of themselves to help the University of Hawai'i, but the university, in return, makes them pay for parking just to practice.

Pay for parking? Are they kidding? No soap in the showers? You can't be serious.

Brennan's call for help may be taken the wrong way by some school administrators, but it's obvious to me that somebody needs to step in and make life a little easier for our student athletes.

Getting your car towed or ticketed from a practice facility is ludicrous.

Brennan's complaints are warranted, and the school administration should be ashamed.

Hooray for Colt for standing up and letting the problems be known. He's what leadership is all about.

ONE FRAZIER TRIP COULD BUY LOCKER-ROOM SOAP

The lack of soap for our University of Hawai'i student athletes in their locker rooms is appalling.

To have their repeated requests for something so simple be continually ignored is even more appalling. Why does it have to take quarterback Colt Brennan going public for help before things finally get done?

Moreover, the problem is corrected not by the university, but by generous businesses donating their time and resources.

One Herman Frazier trip to the Mainland could buy enough soap for a year. The entire UH administration needs to do some soul searching.